Even Better Bomb Ass Blueberry Muffins!

I'm back, bitches!

So, a while back I had written a recipe for Whole Wheat-ish Blueberry Muffins (read all about it here). Well, this weekend, our cousins came over for brunch (hey BriAnne!) and they brought over blueberry muffins (every.single.time. I type "blueberry" I type "blueverry" instead...it's really starting to get to me). They were very good, but also probably very fattening. Anyways, I wanted one, so I whipped up a lower calorie batch (about 155 calories each by my calculation compared to probably around 600). This is a variation on my previous recipe, just tweaked a little bit.

A great way to keep these cheap and organic is to buy frozen organic blueberries which are $2.69 a bag here in Boston.

I cut the calories by using applesauce instead of oil and cinnamon sugar topping instead of crumb topping. I also upped the healthy factor by adding more whole wheat flour. You could even add 1/3 c. ground flax if you wanted. I was too lazy to grind some up. And now I'm feeling bad about myself. Learn from my mistakes, children.

Here's the recipe:

Bomb Ass Blueberry Muffins
makes 9

1 c. organic whole wheat flour ($.23 Whole Foods of course)

1/2 c. organic white all purpose flour ($.13)

2/3 c. organic sugar ($.39)

2 t. baking powder ($.08 - please triple check this and don't use baking soda on accident!)

1/2 t. salt (<$.01) (excuse the formatting from here...I'm stuck with a messed up keyboard - trust me it's worse for me than it is for you)

1/3 c. organic homemade applesauce made by ME! ($.30...?)

1/2 c. milk or yogurt (organic - $.19)

1 egg (organic - $.29)

1 cup frozen blueberries (organic - TJs - $1.08)

2 T. organic sugar ($.07) + 1 t. cinnamon ($.06) = topping = ($.13)

Total: $2.83...that's $.31 each...NICE! It only cost us $.30 to make them organic, too. Isn't that great?

1. Preheat oven to 400 and prepare muffin tins by greasing them or putting in muffin cups.


2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.


3. In a measuring cup, measure applesauce and add the egg. Then fill with yogurt or milk to make 1 cup. You should need about 1/2 c. That's how much I needed.


4. Add the applesauce mixture to the dry ingredients and stir slowly until JUST combined. If you over stir muffin batter, you will make your muffins tough. So, stir them as few times as absolutely necessary.


5. Toss the blueberries with the flour. This is done so that they don't sink. This batter is so thick that they won't sink, anyways...but I also do it to keep the blue color from bleeding too much (even though it still will a bit). Toss anything that you plan to put in a muffin in flour first so they don't sink.


6. Fold in the blueberries carefully and spoon the batter into cups.


7. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or just plain sanding sugar, or nothing, if you'd prefer.
   
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Mine took 25.
   

I hope you like them! Mike, baby Dylan, and I sure do :).

Low(er) Fat, Whole Wheat, Chocolate Chip Nibbles

OK, so here's the deal with this one. The first time I used this base recipe, I tried to halve the recipe to a third. Turned out I thirded all the ingredients except for the flour. So, the next time, I was really committed to doing it right, so that I could report the recipe to all of you readers. Well, this time, I added HALF the butter I was supposed to add. BUT the cookies turned out pretty damn good, so I was like, "well, whatever, they're low fat, whole wheat, and delicious". I'm not going to lie, though, if you like your cookies to spread out and get nice and flat and chewy, these aren't for you. HOWEVER, if you don't mind a thicker, less buttery cookie, these are perfect. THAT BEING SAID, you could add an extra 1/4 c. of butter (1/2 stick) and they would probably spread and be nice and greasy like the ones you remember (I'm not judging you, add the butter if you need to...JUST KIDDING, I am judging you - make them healthy!)

Just be warned, the dough is REALLY crumbly. You really have to heat it with your hands and press it firmly into a ball. These don't spread too much, just kind of puff up. They're little nibbles.

So, here goes nothing!

what're these two trouble-makers up to?

(p.s. these are made from the dough I set aside in the fridge...they still came out awesome. They were even more crumbly than the first batch, but the heat from my hands helped me shape them into balls.)

Organic-ish LFWWCC Nibbles

(Low(er) Fat, Whole Wheat, Chocolate Chip Cookies)

makes 4 dozen - feel free to half if needed!

2 c. Whole Wheat Flour (organic - $.46)

1 c. All Purpose Flour (organic - $.25)

2 t. baking soda ($.02 - triple check you're using SODA not POWDER)

1/4 t. salt (<$.01)

1/2 c. butter (1 stick - $.70)

2/3 c. brown sugar ($.38)

2/3 c. white sugar ($.10)

2 eggs (organic - $.60)

1/2 t. vanilla extract ($.08)

1 c. chocolate chips ($.80)

Total for about 4 dozen small cookies: $3.40...That's $.07/cookie and $.85/dozen. You'd pay a lot more than that at the store, and these are so quick and easy to make!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy. If you don't have time to let your butter soften, just slice it really thinly into your mixing bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time. Wait until one's incorporated to add the next.
4. Add vanilla. Mix.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk both flours, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add to wet ingredients and stir until the dough comes together. It will be crumbly. That's because we cut the fat so much. When you press the balls together, they'll be fine.
7. Stir in chocolate chips.
8. Shape cookies into balls, and press together the way you would a meatball. It may take some finesse, that's just the price we pay for delicious lower fat cookies!
9. Arrange on sheet leaving 2 inches between them.
10. Bake for 10 minutes. They should still be quite soft in the middle, but baked around the edges. They'll harden up a bit once they're out of the oven!
11. Enjoy :).

scrimpyTips:

- I baked half, and put the other half in the fridge. I plan to bake them the way you would regular store bought cookie dough. This way, we can have a few fresh cookies whenever the mood strikes. I find that when you bake a huge batch of cookies, unless you have people to give them away to (and screw THAT, I'm not giving away my cookies! OK, I gave my friend Crystal ONE, but that's because she's special), they get very hard before you can eat them all. Using this method, we'll have fresh ones every time!

- You can use more chocolate chips. I just found that since the dough is crumbly to begin with, adding too many chocolate chips can make forming the dough balls a bit tricky.

- These would be great with some walnuts added in! You could even sneak in 1/3-1/2 c. of ground flax seeds. I've done that before and it's a great way to add omegas to your cookie.

So there you have it, my friends. A recipe for whole wheat chocolate chip cookies using half the butter of the average recipe. I really hope you love them as much as we do ;). If you'd like them more buttery, just add an extra half stick of butter (1/4 c. - $.35).

What's tricks do you guys have to healthify your baked goods? I'd love to hear your comments!

(30...well, 35) Minute Meal Thursday!

Hey all! Cooking while Dylan is awake is always a challenge, so I usually wait until he goes down at 6 to prepare dinner for Mike and me. However, with the time change and the summer coming up, we've been trying to keep him up later, so that we can enjoy him more. This means I'm stuck cooking dinner while he's awake (unless I've prepared it throughout the day, which I sometimes d0). There are tons of meals you can throw together in 30 minutes on a weeknight that are both satisfying and healthy. The following recipe for lentils and rice is a great example of that!

Mike and I eat dinner around 7 or 8 because it's enjoyable to sit and relax once the baby's down. With the baby staying up later, quick meals are great because I can put them together in almost no time at all, and still be eating at a reasonable hour. A little aside: Mike and I started eating later when we started putting Dylan down at 6, but it's turned out to be a great little change to our routing. Eating dinner later causes us to be too full to snack all night, saving us calories and money! Nice.

I found this recipe online, but I think lentils take a little longer to cook than 30 minutes...I guess we'll see...I'll tell you the result after the recipe, because I'm writing this while it cooks. How do I know it will be good? No clue, but I'm sure it will be. Hopefully.

Lentils and Rice

makes 8 servings

1 lb. lentils (organic - $2.39 - WFs)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1 1/2 c. dry brown rice (organic - $1.20 - WFs)

1 medium onion ($.07)

4 medium carrots, finely chopped, about 2 c. ($.64 - organic)

2 cloves garlic ($.04)

1 1/2 T. olive oil ($.36)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1 dash black pepper ($.01)

1/4 t. red pepper flakes ($.02)

1 t. dried basil ($.06)

1 T. red wine vinegar ($.06)

1 t. salt for brown rice water ($.01)

Total is $4.88. That's mostly organic and serves 8 people. Lentils are also amazing for you. That's $.61/serving, which is so cheap for an organic meal.

1. You're going to need 2 pots of boiling water. One medium-large one that can accomodate 1 pound of lentils. The other pot can be smaller, it's for the rice.
2. Fill one pot with 10 c. water and the other with 3 c. water 1 t. salt, set both on high.
3. When the water boils, add the lentils to the big pot, and the rice to the small pot.
4. Turn lentils to medium heat and rice to a low heat.
5. Simmer the lentils until tender (about 35 minutes) and the rice until cooked (about 30 minutes).

To make the vegetables:

1. Chop onion, and finely chop carrots and garlic.
2. Add 1 1/2 T. olive oil to pan over medium heat.
3. Let oil heat, and then throw the carrots, garlic, onion, basil, 1 t. salt, dash black pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried basil.
4. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Leave a top on if possible, as this keeps the moisture in the vegetables.
5. When lentils and rice are done combine them with the vegetables and add about another 1 t. of salt, or to taste.
6. Serve and enjoy!

This is a great recipe. It's delicious as a vegan or vegetarian main dish or a side dish to meat or fish. We ate it as a main dish with a small spinach salad. Taste before serving and add more salt if necessary.

scrimpyTips:

- This is great for a cold lunch salad.

- This can be made with barley and short pasta.

- Mushrooms would be really great in this. I may buy some and add them in tomorrow.

- This is a good make ahead, just prepare the rice and add premade lentil-vegetable mix.

Sorry this is a 35 minute meal. It's worth the extra time, though! Let me know what you think :).

Meatball Madness!

You all, everybody!

CAUTION: What you are about to read has nothing to do with meatballs. If you are looking for the meatball information, scroll down and ignore all this:

Hey there, everybody! When I went to type "hey there", I got the lyrics to the Drive Shaft hit single "You all, everybody" in my head, and figured I would share them with you. This goes out to all my LOST fans. Actually, I'm tripping out right now, because I'm not even a LOST fan (it's not new tonight, if you were wondering).

Q: Why do you know so much about LOST if you aren't a fan?
A: I watch the show because once you watch it once, you are obligated under contract to watch every.single.other episode. I could not care less about what happens on that stupid island and the stupid people involved with aforementioned island. Hmmm...but I do have a favorite character...Sun. I think. I also like Jack. I also like when I miss an episode, because then I don't have to watch it. If I know it's on and I'm home, then there's no escaping it...but if I'm home, then I can't ignore the pull of the show. And Mike. He makes me watch it.

Q: Why aren't you a LOST fan?
A: Oh, I don't know. I guess because nothing ever happens and I feel like I'll never understand the whole deal, so what's even the point? Also, I don't find the characters or storylines compelling. I'm actually a little interested in the Kate/Aaron plotline, but that's about it.

Ok, now for Meatball Madness!

Taylor's Turkey Meatballs

makes about 12 depending on how big you make them

serves 6 along with pasta and sauce for dinner

1.3 lb. package ground turkey ($5.58 natural @ Shaw's this week $4.29/lb or Shadybrook farms @ S & S $2.99/1.3 lb package)

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped ($.04)

2 eggs (organic - $.60)

1 c. panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs (I used panko and they were just perfect - $1.30)

2 pieces white sandwich bread (torn apart into little pieces - $.25)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1/2 t. black pepper ($.03)

1 t. dried parsley ($.06)

1/2 t. oregano ($.03)

1/2 t . basil ($.03)

1/2 c. grated Romano cheese ($.73)

3/4 c. raisins (optional and organic - $.65)

2 T. olive oil ($.24)

Total (with expensive all-natural Shaw's turkey): $9.88

Total (with less expensive S & S turkey): $7.29

Total for a pot of sauce with 1 1/2 lb. pasta: $5.55

Added to the sauce recipe with pasta, this would feed about 8 people easily for a total of: $12.84 - $15.43 (depending on which turkey you used)...$1.61 - $1.93 per serving!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 (isn't it weird how most things get cooked at this temperature???)
2. Tear up the sandwich bread into little pieces.
3. Chop the onion finely.
4. Combine basil, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, cheese, and raisins in a bowl.
5. To the spice bowl, add turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, and bread pieces (this mixture is more wet than ones I had made previously, but that's okay).
6. I made mine a little bit bigger than golf balls but a little smaller than tennis balls. Closer to golf balls than tennis balls. Okay I think I've exceeded my quota for using the word "balls" today.
7. Take the olive oil and drizzle around a round pie dish, or similar sized item.
8. Place each ball in the dish and roll in olive oil, repeat for all of them. Arrange them in the dish so that they're all touching.
9. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes, or until they are cooked through.
10. I then added them to my pot of sauce for the rest of the sauce's cooking time.
11. If you're not making sauce just be sure they're completely cooked, and then enjoy!

scrimpyTips:

- These can be made with any ground meat.

- You can play around with the spices or even add a clove of chopped garlic/garlic powder into the mix.

- I like to let them cook in my tomato sauce while the sauce cooks down.

- These would be great to freeze (cooked, preferably) along with some tomato sauce for a quick weeknight meal of either pasta and meatballs or meatball sandwiches (I was going to say "heroes", but then realized that the regional term for "sandwich" debate is quite polarizing..."sub", "hero", "grinder", "WHATEVER".)

Freezing Fruit and Vegetables

This is kind of a cop-out, but when researching methods for freezing vegetables, I came across a link that had everything you need to know about it. Basically, most things can be blanched (quickly boiled for 3 minutes, then immersed in an ice bath to immediately stop the cooking and set the color) and then packed in freezer bags/containers and frozen (after being cooled - which will mostly take place in the ice bath).

I would use this method to take advantage of this week's produce sales on asparagus (Whole Foods) and Zucchini and Mushrooms (Stop and Shop and Shaw's).

Fruit can also be frozen...here's an article on it. Basically, most things are well frozen in a container, and things that go brown are dipped in lemon juice and then frozen. I love using frozen berries and bananas in smoothies. I usually buy my berries frozen, but if they ever go on a sale that's too good to be true, you can bet I'll be stocking up and stocking my freezer with these babies. I break bananas up into 3 pieces, then I put them in a freezer bag. I always re-use this bag and keep it stocked with frozen banana pieces for smoothies or baking.

Frozen veggies and fruits are usually almost always cheaper than fresh, but when fresh occasionally goes on sale cheaper than frozen, I will buy a bunch of fresh and freeze it myself. This is also a great technique for when you just happen to buy too much produce and won't get a chance to use it all up. Ooh, and if you have a garden, and just have way too much (you could give it away to friends - like generous people do - but screw that, I grew it, and I'm keepin' it!) you could use these freezing techniques to have garden fresh veggies all year long. Just freeze it, and take your time using it! Voila!

Frozen Veggies are great: added to soups, stirfries, fritattas and omelets (just steam them quickly - don't add them frozen), stews, and rice/other grains as a side dish.

Frozen Fruit is great for making: fresh ice cream and pancake toppings, muffins, pies, ice cream, smoothies, and snacking on. I love to take a cup of frozen mangoes or cherries and eat them for dessert. Since they're frozen, they take forever to eat, and since it's fruit, it's filling and low calorie.

I hope you find the above 2 links helpful. I will work on developing recipes that use frozen fruit and veggies to share with you!

Ooh, and in case you're wondering about the nutrition of frozen versus fresh, I found this from Elaine Magee, a WebMD Weightloss Clinic:

"Nutritionally speaking, frozen veggies are similar to -- and sometimes better than -- fresh ones. This makes sense, considering that these veggies are usually flash-frozen (which suspends their "aging" and nutrient losses) immediately after being harvested. Frozen veggies were often picked in the peak of their season, too.

I ran a nutritional comparison on both fresh and frozen broccoli florets (uncooked), and the frozen broccoli contained a bit more vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and folic acid. A recent government study found no change in amounts of folic acid found in veggies after 12 months of freezing. So don't let nutrition stop you from buying frozen!"

Ooh, and I'll leave you with a recipe I just got in my inbox: Turkey and Spinach Manicotti (you could also use shells and stuff them with this filling). This is a pantry-friendly meal, and contains ingredients on sale in Boston this week. If you're crunched for time and have no sauce, just use 1 1/2 c. pureed canned tomatoes. The flavor won't be exactly the same, but it's just as good in a different way.

7/9 ingredients in this recipe are already in my pantry (stay tuned for my upcoming posts on building your pantries):

-pasta
-romano cheese (that I substitute for parmesan in all recipes - you can too!)
-frozen spinach
-tomatoes (for sauce)
-garlic
-onions
-italian seasoning (make your own with mix of 1 part dried oregano + 2 parts dried basil + 2 parts dried parsley)

*Sorrento ricotta is also on sale $3.49/2 lb. That's a great deal. 1 lb is usually $2.49 at TJs (which would put TJs at $5 for 2 lbs...if the prices beats TJs it's usually a steal. Ricotta can be frozen, too!)

*Turkey (on sale this week at Shaw's - their natural brand is $4.29/lb and S & S - $2.99/lb...it may even be on sale at Whole Foods, but I'm not in the city so I can't check. If anyone knows, please leave it as a comment!)

If you stock up on sale meat, turkey may already be in your freezer pantry, too.

This meal is freezer-friendly, as well.


Goodnight :D

Trader Joe's Success!

Recently, I was shopping at Trader Joe's and realized that I just have to share this receipt with you. I cannot believe how many groceries I got for under $30. I bought:

Frozen berry medley for smoothies
Frozen Harvest Hodgepodge vegetables for stir fry
Thai rice sticks for stir fry
Salami and provolone for Mike's lunch sandwiches
Pizza dough for a pizza
Organic soy milk for smoothies and cereal
Organic whole wheat spaghetti
White spaghetti for white clam sauce
Mini pearl tomatoes
Organic frozen sweet peas for baby food
Organic wild blueberries for smoothies and muffins
Organic steel cut oats for breakfast and baby

All this for a whopping $27.08. Are you kidding me with this? I really cannot get over at how inexpensive this much food was. Almost half of it was organic! These groceries will feed my family for a week. Obviously not everything I need is on that list, which is why it's so important to have a stocked pantry of necessary cooking items. That way, you just do a small shop for fresh ingredients each week or so, and have all the little items (canned goods, oils, spices, grains) on hand. I will be posting about building a great pantry this week!

The reason I'm writing the post is to motivate you to try out Trader Joe's. I live 2 miles away, but I walk over there (you're crazy if you think i'm paying $3.40 for the T round trip) anyways, because the prices are amazing. If you're looking to stretch your grocery buck, this is the place to be. Granted, they won't have everything you want, but that's really ok.

There are 3 TJs in the city...one in Cambridge, one in Back Bay (take the T to Hynes Convention Center or Prudential stop and walk to Boylston - right across from the Prudential on Boylston street), and one in Brookline (with beer and wine - Coolidge Corner stop on the C line).

They have great prices on:

• butter
• organic soy milk
• organic yogurt
• pizza dough
• olive oil
• jelly
• cheese
• chocolate
• nuts
• organic raisins
• organic romaine hearts
• frozen fruit
• prepared foods
• breads and bagels
• potatoes
• vanilla extract
• oatmeal
• protein powder

If you can make it over to TJs, I insist that you do. You can't find a better value anywhere in the city. Like I always say, Trader Joe's has almost everything you could need and nothing you don't. If you're trying to eat healthy on a tight budget, TJs is a great place to start because the prices are so reasonable, you won't be scared off!

I should let you know, though, that Whole Foods prices are cheaper on some things. Overall, your shopping experience will be insanely cheaper for a market basket of goods at TJs, but WFs has some really great deals, which I will post about later this week. So stay tuned for deals I've found at Whole Foods, as well as for the Whole Foods Pick of the Week!

scrimpyTips:

-This place is bad during peak hours. Apparently once people walk in there, they lose their ability to see peripherally. This makes people run into you/back into you/cut you off/run you over with abandon. Oh, and good luck getting an "excuse me" or an apology. I would go early on a weekend morning or during the work day (not at lunchtime though) if possible.

-Even though it seems tiny, you can navigate this place (Back Bay) with a stroller. You just walk in, and take the lift down. After that, it's smooth sailing...well, as long as you're not there during peak hours. See prior tip.

NO excuses that you don't live close to a TJs! I walk 4 miles round trip (with a 7 month old!).

Whole Foods Pick of the Week!

My Whole Foods Pick of the Week is Arrowhead Mills Flax Seeds. At $2.99/lb, these are quite the nutritional value. A great source of fiber, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds make a welcome addition to baked goods, oatmeal, smoothies, and yogurt. Flax is an amazing thing to add to your diet, and is the most cost effective way I've found to get omega-3s. I'm not too much of a fish eater (I know, I know..."but it's so good for you"...but it's SO expensive! Not exactly in the budget right now, although if anyone in the city needs a sushi date...) so this $2.99 Flax is a great alternative. Between my $4.29/lb walnuts from TJs and my WF $2.99 Flax I'm good to go on omegas!

The nutrients in flax are MUCH better absorbed if the flax is ground (or else it stays a little seed in your belly!) so I always grind mine fresh. You can buy it ground up, but it's best to grind it as you use it...kind of like coffee.

Try it, you'll like it! I love eating it throughout the day, a little sprinkled here and there.

Oh! The baby loves it in his food too! Try mashing a banana up with a tablespoon of flax for a fiber, iron, and omega boost for your baby. Here's a link to the benefits of flax for babies, and some guidelines on its use. You shoudn't give the baby too much, as it can have laxative effects.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen...My Whole Foods Pick of the Week. Stay tuned for more Whole Foods best buys!

-Add them to muffin batters, breads, and cookies

-Sprinkle by the tablespoon full over cereals, oatmeal, and yogurt

-Mix up in a smoothie

-Sprinkle in baby foods

Natural Cleaning Product Recipes!

Good morning, everyone! I usually like to get a good amount of decent cleaning done on Saturdays, because I have Mike's help with the baby. During the week, it's all I can do to just keep up with the minimum of cleaning, because Dylan needs me! Anyways, it's nice to have my hands free on Saturday and be able to clean up real nice :).

In my research, I came across this site that is way better than anything I could put together. I'm going to just write my recipe for favorite all time cleaning tricks. I'm a bare minimum type of girl, because why use more ingredients than absolutely necessary, right?



Taylor's Favorite Homemade Cleaner

1/4 c. vinegar ($.05)
4 c. water ($.00)
30 drops of any essential oil you'd like (lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree...) (optional) ($.23)

Mix this all together and pour it into a recycled (or new) spray bottle. Vinegar is a great disinfectant and deodorizer. The vinegar smell goes away so quickly, even if you don't use essential oils. Personally, I don't even use the essential oils, because I'm trying to keep the cleaners superscrimpy. But, I know that you can get bottles of lavendar essential oil pretty inexpensively on amazon.com. I think I'm going to invest in some so that I can experiment a little more, and make some really nice home cleaners. You should, too! I buy a gallon of vinegar for, like $3 at stop and shop, which makes these cleaners $.05/windex bottle (32oz) without essential oils.

OK, so that link above for amazon, ok here it is again, is for 4 oz. of tea tree oil for $18.40 (with . shipping). That would mean that every 30 drops are $.23. So, an entire thing of this cleaner would cost you $.28 and would be all natural and safe for your family.

Total for a windex sized spray bottle full is $.28. I use it for:

• Countertops
• Stove Top (just spray, let it sit, and come back to it, spray again, and wipe)
• Dylan's high chair tray
• Bathroom
• Sink
• Floors
• Um, everything

Another great idea from treehuggingfamily.com that I had never thought of is boiling citrus peels with some essential oils or spices or fresh lavender or romemary on the stovetop!

I also like the method of simmering fresh rosemary, thyme, or sage and straining. This makes a disinfectant water. Adding a few drops of castile soap or other natural soap will help cut grease.

Anyways, as you can see, there are a ton of options, but above is the easiest, cheapsest, most multipurpose cleaner I know of. Make a batch and let me know what you think!

Making your own cleaners is a great way to keep crap out of the air and your environment. I love knowing that my family is not exposed to any chemicals.

Oh, and PS. Baking soda. Yes, baking soda. So cheap, and is a great non-abrasive yet so abrasive scouring agent. It won't scratch things and is amazing for getting ANYTHING off of ANYTHING. Once I realized this, I went crazy on some pans that I thought were past the point of no return, and guess what? They weren't. Baking soda beat their asses. Try it.

Buying and Using Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

Hi my friends, good morning! It's Thursday, which is good because:

1. The office and 30 rock are on...oh, and Kath and Kim, that's show's OK too (especially the episode where they're obsessed with Winona)
2. Friday is tomorrow
3. If you're in college, you don't have class, and you can go out and get drunk tonight
4. The garbage gets taken out
5. Um, that's it

I wanted to talk to you all about the benefits of using frozen fruit and vegetables. During the winter months here in the Northeast, there is really no way to get a variety of fresh, local, organic vegetables. Sure, there are some things that are at Whole Foods that are from the area, but there isn't much. What's a Bostonian to do? We have 2 options:

1. Pay out the you know what for vegetables and fruits that have been shipped who knows how far (very bad for the environment, and not that good for us, either because the nutrition degrades as they sit and sit)
2. Buy frozen fruits and vegetables (which are a steal no matter what month it is, really...)
   
   I'm going with number 2 and here's why:
   
3. Frozen fruits and vegetables are frozen at the peak of ripeness and then sent to the store. This means that you are getting optimal nutrition and flavor from what you're purchasing.
4. Buying frozen makes it much, much more affordable to buy organic. I get 12 oz. bags of frozen organic wild blueberries for $2.69 at Trader Joe's. Buying that many fresh organic during the winter would easily cost 3 times as much.
   
5. Frozen fruits and veggies don't go bad as quickly as fresh, meaning you can keep them on hand longer and stock up on them when they go on sale. They will get freezer burn, though, so try to use them within a month or two of purchase.
6. Frozen vegetables are great for a quick meal in a pinch.

Here's some ideas for using frozen veggies:

• You can throw a medley in a pan and have a delicious stir fry (I'll share my recipe with you) in no time at all. Throw atop some whole wheat spaghetti or soba, and you have quick, easy, and CHEAP organic noodle bowls. Trader Joe's also carries Thai rice sticks for $1.99. SO GOOD.
• You can also just throw a whole bag in a steamer and have an instant side dish to make sandwiches into a dinner.
• I'll buy a corn, pea, carrot medley and use it in pot pie filling. I just saute onions, garlic, oil, and spices, then add flour and milk to create a white sauce. Dump in the frozen veggies, and voila! Veggie pot pie filling.
• You can also toss bags of frozen vegetables into soups and stews
• They are great for making baby food. I toss a12 oz bag of organic365 WF sweet peas ($1.99) in my steamer and have more than a week of peas for Dylan after tossing them in the food processor. You'd pay over a dollar for one small jar of organic pea baby food.

Ideas for using frozen fruit:

• You can easily make peach, blueberry, or strawberry pies using bags of frozen fruit (so much cheaper than fresh!)
• Toss them in the blender or magic bullet or vitamix (these things sound awesome...I want a vitamix!) with some soymilk and water for a delicious smoothie.
• Toss frozen blueberries in pancake mix and muffins.
• Snack on frozen cherries, berries, or mango chunks. This is great for those on a diet, because they're frozen and take a while to eat, and you can have a huge cup for under 90 calories.
• Cook with sugar and make toppings for pancakes, cakes, and ice cream.

When using frozen fruits and vegetables, the possibilities are endless. I hope I've motivated you to use your imagination and see what you can come up with. It'll save you a ton of money, and hopefully get you eating more organic fruits and veggies!

What's your favorite thing to do with frozen fruits and veggies?

How to make tomato sauce

Hey! Making red sauce is a great way to keep dinner costs down. I buy my organic tomatoes at Whole Foods. Their diced organic 365 brand are $1.79/can. I paid $1.67/can when I got the Muir Glen ones on sale 3/$5.00, but I'll use the $1.79 price since that's what you, the reader, can pay all the time, regardless of the sale. It's really easy to make a tasty red marinara style sauce. The sauce is so versatile. I make it, eat it over pasta once, make a lasagna or baked ziti with a little bit more of it, and then have pasta once again, or make meatball subs! You can also freeze it if you have extra, and always have an emergency dinner on hand with a little pasta, or half the recipe! My recipe makes a nice sized pot of sauce. Enough for 8 meals of spaghetti. Add in some meatballs and you've got yourself a good time (my family is from Italy, and they put raisins in the meatballs...this is delicious, try it!).

So, I am going step by step here so you can see what I really do. To test it out, I'm going to have Mike try to make it based on the blog. I will update you on how that goes!

First I cut up an onion. Here I used red, but I really prefer yellow. This was just what I had. It happened to be a cup. Most baseball sized onions will produce a cup. I chopped it like so:


I then add these to the pot along with:
2T sugar
2T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t dried basil
1 t dried parsley
1 dash black pepper

Like so:


I then pop the top on these bad boys and let them cook until they begin to become translucent. The top helps keep the moisture in. Once they become see through, you can take the top off and continue to cook everything. The liquid will evaporate, and the onions will soften and brown a bit, and that's what you want!

By the end of this step, your sauce will look like this:


At this point, you add two 28 oz. cans of tomatoes and then fill the cans up with water and add that. For a total of 2 cans of tomatoes and 2 tomato cans of water. That's confusing. But it's not. Your pot will look like this (but a little fuller because this is only with one can of water added):


(You may say, "my pot looks nothing like this". And I will tell you that we are talking about two very different types of pot, my friend).

At this point, you crank the heat up to high and put a top on it to get it up to a boil nice and quickly. Once it's boiling, take the top off, lower the heat, and allow it to simmer and reduce to the thickness you'd like. You simmer it longer for a thicker sauce, shorter for a thinner sauce.

At the end, if it is too "tomatoey", I like to add a tablespoon of butter, which isn't traditional and kind of a cheat, but whatever. Oh, yeah, and P.S. this has no garlic in it. I never liked making it with garlic, and my 94-year-old Grandma from Italy was watching me make it...I told her that I didn't put garlic in it, and she exclaimed she didn't in hers, either! Wow!

This whole process takes about 2 hours I'd say.

So the ingredient list is:
2 cans tomatoes, organic ($3.58)
1 c. onions ($.07 - Haymarket)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil (doesn't have to be extra virgin...$.24)
2 T. sugar ($.04)
1 t. salt ($.01)
1 t. dried parsley ($.01)
1 t. dried basil ($.01)
1 dash black pepper (<$.01) 1 T butter, optional a couple shakes of red pepper flakes (for spicy heat - to be added to onions and oil in the beginning of cooking - optional) Grand Total: $4.06 (with the butter), $6.04 with 2 pounds of spaghetti ($.99 at both TJs and WF). That would serve about 4 hungry people twice (or 8 hungry people once). That means that it's actually $.76/serving. Wow! I will come back to share my Italian bread recipe with you, too!

scrimpySauceTips:
- You can half this recipe to make enough sauce for 1 box of pasta.
- You can use this sauce for so many things: Chicken parmesan, Eggplant parmesan, Baked ziti, Lasagna, Stuffed shells, Calzones, etc...
- This makes a great freezer meal. Just freeze half for a quick weeknight dinner,
- You could use this for pizza, I'd just add an extra T, of sugar, and reduce it until it's thicker.
- I like this sauce thin and smooth. To get it thin and smooth, I use an immersion stick Braun hand mixer. You can also put it in a blender. Just be sure it's cooled off because the heat could blow the top off.
- If you like it thick and chunky, use diced tomatoes and just serve it as is. And if you only have whole tomatoes, just crush them in your hand before you add them to the pot.
- You can use any type of canned tomato: seasoned, crushed, pureed, whole, you name it!
- I have heard that all soups and sauces are better if given some time to rest. So usually, I'll make this at 3 pm, let it sit on the stove off the heat once it's done cooking, and then heat it up while I cook the pasta around 7 for dinner.
- It's good with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan or Romano. I use Romano because it's so much cheaper and serves the same purpose. Again, when I have money, it'll be Parmesan. And it'll be the expensive Parmesan.

Bananaberry Blasts

This is a great smoothie recipe that uses 3 ingredients. It's full of anti-oxidants from the soy milk and blueberries, comes together in a flash, and looks very cool, too (it's Blueish-Purpleish).

- 3/4 c. TJs organic frozen wild blueberries ($1.35)
- 2 organic bananas - Haymarket ($.22)
- 1 1/2 c. organic soy milk ($.63)
- 1 1/2 c. water

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Serve with a straw

scrimpyTips:

- If you have a magic bullet, you can just do this in 3 batches. Add 1/4 c. blueberries, about 1/2 a banana, 1/2 c. soy milk, and 1/2 c. water and blend. The magic bullet is great for smoothies.